title: Nontraumatic ascending aortic disruption.
abstract: This report documents a case of completely spontaneous ascending aortic disruption. A 54-year-old African American male day laborer presented with severe retro-sternal chest and back pain and shortness of breath. He had no history of hypertension, smoking, or trauma and was taking no medications. The computed tomographic angiography scan performed to exclude pulmonary embolism instead demonstrated a hemorrhagic pericardial effusion and an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm. He was taken emergently to the operating room for repair of his ascending aorta. The histopathology report was normal.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cooper University Hospital of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Richard Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Highbloom
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cooper University Hospital of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Yosef Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cooper University Hospital of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey. Electronic address: rosenbloom-michael@cooperhealth.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenbloom
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cooper University Hospital of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Frank W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Cooper University Hospital of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Neeta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Datwani
mesh_terms: D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous
keywords: 26